Unexpected Expenses

I'm sorry I've neglected The Single Aesthetic for so long! Life has truly blessed me over the past 18 months. I got so caught up in the whirlwind of running, applying to school, getting accepted, celebrating and TRAVELING that I never stopped to write it all down. I took plenty of pictures. I tweeted up a storm. But, I didn't blog about it. I'm sure I'll one day regret that. I'll try to do as much back-logging as I can over the summer... but that's not why I'm here. I'm here today because I'm pissed. Royally. Here's a post to detail said pissed-ness.

Dear Universe,

I feel like I can't win for losing sometimes. Not that volunteering, or serving the community, or vacationing with best friends is "losing" per se. But, the financial toll is really taxing! Let me back up. In the past year and a half, I've run two half marathons with Team in Training (Go Team!), a full marathon with BFF Cece, and I'm now a Team in Training mentor for a third half marathon--Rock N Roll San Diego. Clearly I have an addictive personality. Anyway, with each Team in Training event, runners are asked to fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Once you're a mentor, however, you can choose whether or not you want to fundraise. After all, you're going to be responsible for mentoring new runners, encouraging them to fundraise and helping them during training by providing water/Gatorade in alternating shifts. Your contribution is less tangible as a mentor, but still equally as important. So, after raising over $10,000 for the cause in 2010, Cece and I decided to sit this one out. We'd raise the minimum $250 and pay our own way to San Diego. Cool.

Well, my little brain got to thinking. Since they're going to bill us for our hotel stay at San Diego anyway, I wonder if we can't just fundraise the cost of the room? I asked. Lucky me, the San Diego TEAM coordinator told me I could fundraise $250 plus the cost of the room and be totally covered! Awesome!

Too bad she's a liar.

Today, she calls me asking for $475. What in the hell? After two phone calls and an email exchange she essentially tells me she misspoke and, while she could deduce my bill by $100 since she made the mistake, I still owed LLS $375. Shut the front door. Who do I look like? I do not have that kind of money just laying around. Gah!

On top of that, Anisa and Corinne and I are planning our GET RITE (remember that??) 2011 Summer Fun Extravaganza Trip to Playa del Carmen in July. We've already booked an all-inclusive hotel stay and simply need to finalize our flights. Well, since I've been whizzing around the country for the past year-and-a-half (pats self on back) I've racked up quite a few frequent flyer mile-point thingies. I have enough points to get me anywhere Airtran flies. It was in this mindset that I sat my happy ass down at work this morning and, before even opening Outlook to begin real work for the day, started to book my flight to Mexico. Welp. All the "A Plus Rewards" seats have been redeemed for the days I'm flying. Looks like I got played--again--and will be shelling out a handsome $350 to vacay with two of my closest friends. I'm not complaining, really, because you can't put a price tag on quality time with friends, you know? But damnit if I'm trying to charge $700 in one day!

My goal was to go to graduate school free of credit card debt. If I incurred debt from student loans, so be it. But I wanted to leave that grey cloud of irresponsibility behind me. To me, credit card debt symbolizes the happy-go-lucky recklessness of my post-undergrad years. 2006 through 2011 were thrilling, emotional, wild years. I'm glad I had them. I'm happy to have paid for them... with interest. Those were necessary life experience years, you know?

But I'm going to GRAD SCHOOL. A really good one, too. And, I'm not saying that I want to "close that chapter" in my life, really. Except I kinda do. I don't want to continue to pay this freaking credit card bill while I don't even have an income! I don't want to continue to pay for trips, or car emergencies, or silly mistakes I made two and three years ago. I want a new, fresh life experience. I want endless possibilities. I don't want a monthly statement. I don't want a minimum payment requirement. I don't want a freaking BALANCE!!

Unexpected expenses. That's life, right? As soon as you're doing well and making progress, life hits you with a swift undercut (or two) and knocks you back down. Wellllll Universe, you know what? You can have your silly little $700. Yes, on my credit card. Damnit. But guess what? I'm STILL going to grad school. And I'm going to have a purposeful BLAST in San Diego with my mentees who raised thousands of dollars to combat blood cancers (God bless each and every one of them). I'm still going to Mexico with two ladies who know me oh so well... and we're going to gossip and cry and laugh and drink and party and celebrate life eeeeven if it costs me an unexpected $350. It's all worth it. It's just money. And one day... although later than I'd hoped... I will pay it back. With interest.

So there!

Sincerely,
Me